The jacket
by Firestarhk
Summary: *AU where Becky and Mark had a daughter prior to his death. She is 7 years older than Harris* Leah Healy discovers her dad's old leather jacket in her mom's closet and wants to surprise Becky by wearing it. However, she is the one surprised by Becky's reaction. Cw: Death of a parent. Minor language


The Leather Jacket

"Thank you so much for doing this, honey," 43-year-old Becky Healy said to her 22-year-old daughter Leah. While Becky was going to be at work, Leah would be sifting through all their old stuff in their shared apartment and getting rid of the excess, in preparation for the birth of Becky's second child.

"No problem, Mom," Leah replied, as her mother gave her a peck on the cheek.

"Feel free to keep anything of mine that you want – but try to get rid of most of it," Becky added, putting her jacket on over her Casita Bonita uniform.

"Got it," Leah smiled. She said goodbye to her mother and headed for Becky's bedroom closet.

Leah sat down in the closet, figuring she should make herself comfortable and that she'd likely be there for a while. She began to sift through yearbooks, knick-knacks, and random stuff she and her mom had gotten from her great-grandmother, Bev. Once she had filled the giant black trash bag considerably, she decided to move onto clothing. Her mother had _a lot _of outdated clothes – some that were actually from the 80's and 90's, and some from the 2000's that great Aunt Jackie had gifted her mother with good intentions.

While sifting through the clothing, Leah found herself laughing at some of the outfits, and gagging at others. It was the outfit in the very back of the closet however that made her downright gasp and tear up. It was her late father's black leather jacket. Leah had fond memories of this jacket. She could remember being a toddler and sitting on her father's lap – curled up with her head resting against the leather, as her father rubbed her back trying to get her to fall asleep. She could remember leaping into her father's arms after her first day of kindergarten at Lanford Elementary and burying her face in the leather, happy to be reunited with him after seven hours away.

Leah had no idea that her mother had even kept the jacket in the apartment. She assumed it was put away in the Healy family's storage unit with her father's other belongings that had been too hard for Becky to hold onto after his death. Since it had remained in the apartment however, Leah thought she would put it on – not only to feel close to her father again, but to surprise her mother when she returned home from work in six hours.

Leah put her arms through the sleeves, noting that while it was a bit large for her, her father would've been just a couple years younger than she was when he first got it. She remembered the pictures she had seen of him then – the pictures of his ridiculous hair that her Mom loved but Granny Rose had despised. When Mom and Dad had showed her the old pictures of them as a child, she had giggled at both of their teenage hairstyles.

Leah finished sorting through the closet and hauled the FOUR black garbage bags she had filled out to the front door to be taken out later. How could her mother have fit so much stuff in that tiny closet? She then sat down on the couch and turned on the TV, to a "Golden Girls" marathon – one of her favorite shows. She soon realized how exhausted cleaning had made her and she fell asleep, still with her father's jacket on.

A few hours later, she woke up with a start to a familiar voice, "Leah Healy _what _are you _wearing?" _It was her mother, sounding just like she did the day Leah had tried to wear that vintage thrift store belly shirt to school. But why? Shouldn't she be happy to see her daughter wearing her late husband's beloved jacket? Why did she sound upset? This was no belly shirt.

"D-Dad's jacket," Leah stuttered drowsily. "I thought you'd be surprised. Good surprised."

"Take it off. _Now," _Becky ordered, taking off her jacket and hanging it on the coatrack.

"Why?" Leah asked, her tone beginning to match her mother's level of irritation. What the hell was her problem.

"Because I said so!" Becky snapped. Ah yes, "because I said so," a saying Leah remembered well from her childhood. Her mother had said it often, and even her father, who tended to take a more relaxed and permissive approach in parenting his little princess, had even said it once or twice when young Leah had questioned the instructions she had been given.

"For once that's not a good enough answer for me, Mom! I'm not a child anymore. And for God's sake, my dad is dead. Can I at least wear his jacket?" Leah walked out the front door, still wearing the jacket, and slammed it closed. She headed for her grandpa's house, where her aunt and double cousins, Harris, and Mark, named for her father, also lived.

Grandpa Dan had told her and Mom many times that they were always welcome in the home, and as long as the front or back door was unlocked – there was no need for them to knock. Leah tried to the front door and was relieved to find it opened. She entered the house, removed her shoes, and shut the door behind her. Harris was sitting on the couch.

"What are you doing here?" Harris asked, briefly glancing up from the TV.

"I needed to get away from Mom for a while," Leah sat down on the blue armchair perpendicular to the couch.

"You and Aunt Becky are fighting?" Harris raised an eyebrow. It was true that Leah and Becky were rarely at odds with each other – unlike Aunt Darlene and Harris.

"Yeah, she came home from work to find me wearing Dad's old jacket – I found it in her closet when I was cleaning it out for her. I thought she'd be happy to see me wearing it."

"Oh yeah, that is Uncle Mark's jacket," Harris commented. "I recognize it from the old photos. It looks good on you!"

"Thanks," Leah couldn't help but smile slightly as her cousin rarely complimented her. "I just…I just don't get why my mom doesn't agree? Why'd she keep it in the apartment if she got so upset at seeing me wear it?"

"Maybe it was just such a shock to see someone actually wearing it, as opposed to just hanging up in the closet. Especially since Uncle Mark isn't here anymore to be the one wearing it," Harris replied. "Not to mention you look just like him."

Leah was stunned. "Why Harris Healy I do declare that is the most profound thing you've ever said," Leah said with a Southern accent.

Harris couldn't help but chuckle as she rolled her eyes. "You're weird." Leah laughed along with her cousin.

Grandpa Dan entered the living room. "What's all the ruckus?" he asked jokingly. "Why, Leah! What a pleasant surprise!" Then, he noticed the jacket. "Oh my God…that's not…," he started.

Leah nodded. "Yes, it's Dad's old jacket. I came over because Mom got mad when she found me wearing it. Can I sleep here tonight? I don't know if I can face her again today. I'll try again tomorrow."

"Well, of course!" Grandpa Dan replied. "Only place we'd have for you though is the couch."

"That's fine," Leah replied hastily.

Eventually, afternoon became evening, and Leah enjoyed some Chinese takeout with her extended family. She repeatedly checked her phone to see if her mother had texted or tried to call – but there were 0 notifications. Well, almost 0 – an old classmate had messaged her on Facebook with what she was pretty sure was a pyramid scheme involving selling leggings. Didn't Mom even feel a _little _bad?

Later that night, after everyone else had gone to bed, Leah stayed up on the couch watching various reruns. She hadn't taken the jacket off once and that day had decided that she was going to be buried in it someday – regardless of what her mother said. She soon found herself yawning, and laid her head down on the couch, pulling the family afghan over her. She soon drifted off to sleep.

Just a few hours later, she awoke to a hand gently rubbing her back. She opened her eyes to find her mother sitting on the couch next to her. She suddenly sat up alert.

"Mom!" She said, surprised. "What time is it?"

"1:03," Becky replied. "I'm sorry to wake you, honey. You looked so peaceful. And you really do look good in that jacket. I –,"

"Mom –, "Leah tried to interject.

"Please, honey, let me finish. I'm sorry about the way I reacted earlier. It's just, it's been a long time since I've seen anyone wear that jacket, and the last person who had it on was your father. Seeing you wear it just gave me a flashback to him wearing it when he was alive and it was just…too much," Becky finished.

"That's what Harris was thinking," Leah mumbled, the drowsiness returning.

"Wow, she said something not sarcastic for once? Good for her," Becky chuckled and Leah sleepily joined her mother.

"So, you're okay if I keep wearing the jacket?" Leah asked after they were done laughing.

"Of course, I am," Becky replied. "Not to mention I'm sure it's what Dad would want."

Leah was suddenly hit with immense sadness. "I miss him," she laid her head on her mom's shoulder.

Becky moved a wisp of Leah's hair out of her eyes. "Me too, baby," Becky soon realized that her daughter had fallen asleep. She quietly pulled the afghan over both of them and soon drifted off as well.


End file.
